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Teachers

Originally Posted by Zorba

Teachers in my area always work together, quite well. Which is as it should be...

Dear Zorba,
I think that would depend entirely on the teacher. I would work any time, anywhere with Shakira of Ohio for example, but there are teachers I would walk very far to avoid working with.
Regards,
A'isha

In my area I have not experienced any bad situations like you have described. The teachers seem to invite each other to their shows and there's "the guild of oriental dance" that also handles a lot of belly-business. Since this is a very small country, everyone (imagine that, you people in many-million-people-countries!) is invited to the spring recital and it tours the country in an attempt to not be Copenhagen-centered all the time. If there are any fights going on between teachers, at least they are proffessional enough to keep it for themselves and not slander each other.

I think things are shifting quite a bit, and I think it will be interesting to see how things pan out over the next few years. I think (correct me if I'm wrong, Suheir) that 10 years ago there was a dominant group, but then there was this explosion of isolated pockets that didn't want to know anyone else even if they were only down the road from each other. And now I think they are cautiously peeping out of their shells a bit more!

Personally I have experienced a lot of goodwill from all sorts of different corners, as a student, as a performer and now organising our events, but then I have kind of learnt to filter out most of the croneyism and cliquishness, and focus on the kind and generous goodwill instead. I can name 3 factions I know I'll never be invited in to their crowd, but I'm not really bothered by that!

I think things are shifting quite a bit, and I think it will be interesting to see how things pan out over the next few years. I think (correct me if I'm wrong, Suheir) that 10 years ago there was a dominant group, but then there was this explosion of isolated pockets that didn't want to know anyone else even if they were only down the road from each other. And now I think they are cautiously peeping out of their shells a bit more!

That's probably a fair assessment. The popularity of belly dancing, like other hobbies, goes in waves and it's been going through a boom for the past few years - where there's a boom, there are those who want to cash in.

I've seen this very clearly in the past few years with burlesque/neo-burlesque/new burlesque, whatever people want to call it. It'd been fairly underground for a few years, in London a few clubs were putting on burlesque-type acts and Jo King's London School Of Striptease was really the only place offering classes in burlesque, along with erotic dancing, exotic dancing and, unsuprisingly, striptease.

The first big show in London was Immodesty Blaize And Walter's Burlesque in May 2005 - when it opened I got a half-price, front row ticket for the show as the critics didn't know what to make of it and it got some negative reviews. Now, of course, Immodesty has been crowned Reigning Queen Of Burlesque in Las Vegas and there are schools purporting to teach burlesque opening everywhere.

That's what I see happening in my area. I'm not a teacher so maybe I'm oblivious to some undercurrent, but I go to many events where the teachers get together, all the classes get together, and then the teachers perform together. There are teachers outside this group, and who know what politics happen, but the descriptions people give of teachers back-stabbing each other are just so alien to me.

Karena! I forgot to post from another thread about you watching the Tour of Cali on tv. I watched most of it too on tv with my son. It was fun watching Levi win since he can't do the Tour de France this July My son is biking like crazy! Today he rode 100 miles in pretty cold weather. He is amazing...I tell you, I bike a mile and I am exhausted.

Karena! I forgot to post from another thread about you watching the Tour of Cali on tv. I watched most of it too on tv with my son. It was fun watching Levi win since he can't do the Tour de France this July My son is biking like crazy! Today he rode 100 miles in pretty cold weather. He is amazing...I tell you, I bike a mile and I am exhausted.

You been watching Paris Nice? We were but the feed kept cutting out. Only the time trial today so not the most interesting and very rainy. Made me wish I was in France though. Although it nearly didn't happen at all from what I hear. Yeh Astana are in a bit of a mess aren't they.
My fiance went out today. Only 50 miles I think but with 1500 metres of ascent and it snowed on them